


History Repeats Itself

by Deepest



Category: Trolls (2016)
Genre: And now it's barely there, Character Study, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fate & Destiny, Friendship, Grey Branch, Here comes a Prophecy, Hippity Hoppity, Hugs, I took the barest bones of the LoZ concept and slapped it into Trolls, It's as In-Character as Possible, Legend of Zelda References, Love, Most likely there won't be Creek Redemption, Sorry but dude is unapologetically self centred, Understanding, Universe Alteration, it's not an au, manipulative bastard, more like a, not sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:53:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22524331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deepest/pseuds/Deepest
Summary: "The single greatest story passed down through generations of trolls is actually a legend. One that reaches further back in our history than anyone can remember. And as you'll hear in just a second, It's all about three very important people."The legend tells of the pure heart of a beloved princess, who's love for her kingdom couldn't be outshined by anything else. It's also about the heroic heart of her dedicated knight, who did what no other troll could do to protect what the princess loved most. And lastly, it tells of the dark heart of a great evil. An evil who's only quest was to surpass the defenses of the loving princess and her knight, and claim the world for his own... No matter how many lifetimes it took."---Poppy's held the stories about the Princess of Legend and her knight close to her heart since she was very small. But with Troll Village falling into disarray and her fathers subjects dissolving into a fear and mistrust like the pink princess had never known her kind to be capable of, she must look more closely into the wisdom of their history if she's to realize that she can't find or fix the problem without turning to the last person she'd expect could help.
Relationships: Branch & Poppy (Trolls), Branch/Poppy (Trolls)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 30





	History Repeats Itself

A single sweep of the pod was all it took to capture the attention of every pair of eyes and pointed ears present. The large, somewhat aged scrapbook sat heavy and full of promise in Poppy’s lap, the edge of which cast her shins into shade with its sheer size.

Her insides fluttered and buzzed with anticipation, and in the spirit of the fantastic milestone she was about to impart on the precious next generation of trolls, she took it upon herself to amp up the hype for the moments to come.

“Everyone,” She started, holding her breath for but a second as she witnessed little faces light up with acknowledgement of her undisguised excitement. Since it _was_ storytime she’d have to struggle to rein it into something passably serene, but there was no hiding her long-lived adoration of the story beneath her hands. “This is it. This is the single. _Greatest._ Story. You will ever hear.”

A dozen jaws dropped, and mouths widened into ecstatic grins. 

“Is that really true, Princess Poppy?” An adorably chubby boy leaned over his crossed legs to lay his palms down on the floor in desperate hope. 

The rosy pink troll in charge knew from personal experience that there was no greater prospect than this one, so she looked seriously into the wide eyes of the child and said with utmost conviction, “It’s the truest truth I can possibly tell.”

The hype was sufficiently on the rise, the energy in the room tightening like the high chord of a stringed instrument. Poppy knew she could do better, though. 

“This story,” she beamed at the half-circle of avid listeners in front of her with a glimmer in her eyes like they had never before seen. “will _change your lives!_ It changed mine when I was even younger than all of you! King Peppy would read this to me every night because I could never get enough of it!” As she reminisced, she regarded the cover of the old scrapbook fondly, smile flashing with love as one hand gently cleared it of invisible dust.

With the familiar exclamation of a trolling who knows The Answer, a bright yellow girl sitting on her knees to Poppy’s right side waved her hand in the air, “Princess Poppy, is this the one about-!”

The trolling cut herself off with the same hand tentatively covering her open mouth. With patient expectation and a knowing grin, Poppy waited until the girl removed her palm to finish her sentence in a stage-like whisper,

“The one about _… the evil one?_ ”

Hushed gasps followed, and the princess prompted the tension to dissipate with light gestures of her hands.

“Yes,” she admitted with grace, an air of wisdom about her, “But to really enjoy the story, we all have to take a deep breath-” She demonstrated, her charges mimicking her, “- and understand that even the baddest, most evil things in the world can’t hurt us so long as we…?”

A moment of silence was broken by a tiny blue boy piping, “Oo! So long as we’re happy?”

“Yes!” Poppy gave him two thumbs up. “And?”

“...So long as we’re kind?” A shy trolling with round spectacles twiddled their thumbs in their lap, sending the storyteller a furtive glance.

“That’s exactly right!” Poppy sent them back a gentle smile, coaxing a returning one from the child with ease. “And you know, that’s exactly what this story is about. Except there’s one thing about _this_ story that’s different from any other you’ve heard before. And I’ll tell you why.

“Because in _this_ story,” She said after the faintest pause, her excitement getting the better of her, “We get to meet a very special kind of troll. One that protects us from evil! The story calls him...” She bowed forward over the scrapbook to address the children closer, “The Hero.”

The class as one let out a single, many-voiced murmur of utter amazement. One that was music to Poppy’s delighted ears.

“So if everyone’s ready to begin,” She let everyone hurriedly settle themselves down or straighten up respectively, no shortage of want to get to the telling of this amazing, life-changing story as quickly as possible, “Great.” Poppy breathed. “Then let’s get this show on the road.”

She cleared her throat and took a tiny sip of water, and then lifted the old scrapbook just so to let it fall gently open on her lap. A copy of a copy of a copy, a story so ancient that there was no telling of the accuracy to the real sequence of events that may or may not have transpired all those many hundreds of generations ago. Poppy adored it just the same. 

She met the eyes of her class, and began her introduction.

"The single greatest story passed down through generations of trolls... is actually a _legend_.” This revelation was met with many awestruck faces. “One that reaches further back in our history than anyone can remember. And as you'll hear in just a second," Poppy divulged to her enraptured audience of trollings, "It's all about three very important people.

"The legend tells of the pure heart of a beloved princess, who's love for her kingdom couldn't be outshined by anything else.” A few heads tilted at this, no doubt wondering of the similarities between this princess and the one right in front of them. Poppy certainly had no small amount of respect for the princess of legend, as she’d inspired many royal trolls to embody the same principles, herself included. “It's also about the heroic heart of her dedicated knight, who did what no other troll could do to protect what the princess loved most.”

Eyes lit up in fascination, for a troll who would sooner take up arms and fight than raise them in proffered love was nigh unheard of for such little kids. 

“And lastly,” Poppy let her voice lower with solemnity, “it tells of the dark heart of a great evil. An evil who's only quest was to surpass the defenses of the loving princess and her knight, and claim the world for his own... No matter how many lifetimes it took.”

She took in the confused stares of the trollings surrounding her, and let herself slip into her most mysterious storytelling voice, a breathy tone that drew them in like glowbugs to sounds of song. 

“Oh, yes.” The attention on her was unwavering, “There is no other legend like this one, because they say that _this_ legend never, ever ends.”

The same chubby face of the boy from earlier glowed with awe, “ _...who_ says, Princess Poppy?”

“ _They_ say.” She reiterated. “We have scrapbooks in our library _full_ of theories that lead us to believe that the same princess, knight and evil one in _this legend..._ have been reincarnated again and again throughout our history.” She widened her eyes over the edge of her book, the corners of her grin blushing the apples of her sparkly cheeks. “Isn’t that _so cool?!_ ”

“So cool.” He breathed with blatant wonder.

“But Princess Poppy?” An older green and lilac-haired trolling raised her hand to the far left of the gathering. “Is there any proof?”

The princess in question puffed air through her lips and playfully rolled her eyes. “Of _course_ there’s proof! There has to be if there are _tons_ of scrapbooks all about it, am I right?”

Cleared of all doubts, her class cheerfully responded, “‘ _Right!’_ ”

“Right!” With that, Poppy took another sip of water, and padded her fingers against the top of the book with a conspiratorial gleam of glee lighting up her strawberry face. “Okay…”

Officially placing the old text and felt pictures in her line of sight felt like diving into the adventure for the first time all over again. 

The corner of her smile quirked, and dimpled into her cheek, “Chapter One,”

* * *

  
  


Caught up in the performance for the children surrounding her, Poppy grinned to herself and pulled the first tab along the side of the last page. The activation brought the regal image of the ancient trolls’ throne room to life, a window opening into the scene of a colourful troll princess in a green gown as she stood face to face with a nondescript troll who’s most outrageous feature was a head of straw coloured hair. It’s a part Poppy always got stuck on during her own rereadings of the tale, and even now it almost tripped up her rhythm. Her desire to stare thoughtfully at the two figures for more than the average minute floated in the back of her mind before she shook it off to continue her reading.

Her lips were dry, as she’d gotten so caught up in her storytelling that she’d not had another sip of water since she started. But she equipped herself with her love of the story unfolding (literally) in front of her, and narrated the text on the page with a tone soft and wistful to suit the scene.

“‘The princess of legend met her newly appointed knight in a warm hug.’” Poppy indulged her listeners by adding her voice to the chorus of _aw_ ’s that filled the room as the cut-out fabric princess hugged her little arms against the figure of her companion. “‘She knew that he was the same boy who she had known since she was very small, and she was filled with joy that she would spend so much more time with him.’

“‘But even though the knight had love in his heart for the princess, he did not return her hug,’” Poppy’s eyes were on the troll knight as she spoke, her smile small but sincere, “‘instead, he bowed to her with great respect. The princess, in turn, respected him as well.’

“‘This was to be the beginning of their lifelong partnership.” Poppy finalized, releasing the tab that had bent the straw-headed troll at the waist, and he rose to meet the princess eye to eye once again. “‘Though neither of them yet knew it...’”

And with that, she slid the window tab back into place and pushed the pages of the book gently shut. Chapter one of Poppy’s favorite story of all time had ended without fanfare, per her own preplanning. The resounding sound of little brains whirring like cogs in cuckoo clocks around the room was a reward in itself, and Poppy was stuck in the middle of it feeling more than proud of herself for giving her class the gift of a riveting tale so saturated in troll culture. 

Humming to herself satisfactorily, Poppy allowed the trollings a minute to digest all they’d heard during the last hour.

“But, wait...” someone spoke. 

Poppy gave the child tugging at the hem of her dress an encouraging smile. “Yes?”

“The knight didn’t hug her back?” He asked, his little eyebrows turned up in confusion and worry at the notion. “Why not? Didn’t he want to be her friend?”

“Oh. Well,” She held up a finger to request a minute of thought.

The pink princess tapped her knees and watched each of the kids scattered across the plush floor adopt the same upset expression one by one, trying to formulate an answer that would restore their faith in the legendary knight. She also tried not to feel too bad about the concept herself, because if it _were_ up to her, princess and knight would have met together mutually in the embrace the princess had wanted. Squeezed together with the acknowledged reciprocation of friendship and love to bind them closer than what the legend depicted.

It wouldn’t matter forever, since Poppy had read for herself time and again how the story ended. But, as well as the accuracy of the written legend being questionable at best, Poppy knew the real question stemmed far too close to home for the trollings to completely dismiss it.

She should have known, of course, that the question was coming. Because like Poppy there was no troll, nor trolling, in their right mind who wouldn’t question a pass at a perfectly good hug. 

For trolls, hugs were as important to their health as water. Love and affection were sought after like sugary confections. Sharing touch was like sharing air, and so on. Completely indisputable for all trolls in the village.

Well, bar one. One troll who remained outstanding in only the literal sense.

Shaking her head, Poppy lifted the boy’s chin up with a finger and gave him as fantastic a grin that she could manage, deciding misdirection was the best she could do to satiate their curiosity for the time being. 

“ _Well_ ,” she promised with a wink, “I happen to know that the knight isn’t _always_ gonna turn down the princess’s hugs!”

He fiddled with the strap of his overalls, and a faint light of hope twinkled in his little eyes. “Really? He’s her friend later?”

Poppy shook her head sweetly at him, prepared to give him an answer she already _knew_ to be true to soothe the well-meaning minds of all trollings present. She dipped into a reassuring lilt and pet his shoulder, “No no no, he’s _already_ her friend!” She turned her head to look around at the rest of them and announced her truth with conviction, “A troll you’re a friend to, is a friend to you too...! No matter how much they try and deny it.” 

She finished by directing an unamused glance off to the side. And for that, she earned herself a bout of childlike laughter that lit joy like a torch under her. Poppy was positive that her job was done. 

“That’s just like you with Mr Branch!” The boy next to her chortled, as the stories of Princess Poppy’s ventures into befriending the grouchy recluse were something of a novelty to much of the village.

Much to said recluse’s frustration. The princess knew no small amount of befuddlement for the grey trolls silly tantrums. She giggled with her class.

Nevertheless, uplifting pieces of troll wisdom, corny with just a hint of cheese, had been planting seeds of hope among their kind since longer than Poppy had been alive. It wasn’t the slightest surprise to her that appealing to the inherent nature of the trollings had lightened their spirits once more, as easily as striking a single match.

“Alright, everyone!” Bright and bubbly, Poppy hopped herself to a standing position and clapped her hands. It was the end of the storytelling hour, and soon the parents and guardians of her charges would be wondering where their children were. “Thank you so much for coming! Remember to meet back here at the same time next week for… Chapter two!”

With her fist pumped in the air and charisma dazzling like sequined cloth, it wasn’t hard for the class to catch the fever of excitement for the continuation of what Poppy was _positive_ would be their new favourite story. Her quest to indoctrinate them into adoration of the legend she’d grown up with was well on its way, and the bubblegum pink troll couldn’t be happier about it. 

She peeled back the door to usher them out like the good princess she was, and bid each of them a cheerful goodbye and a hug for the road.

Her grin broadened as, like little ducklings, they tottered out of the pod one after the other. They chattered animatedly, engrossed in the legend of the princess and the knight and exclaiming with great enthusiasm who their favourite of the two was and why.

Poppy paused in closing the door behind her, scrapbook tucked under her arm, as more than one little voice trailing down the path to the village below insisted on being the legendary knight during the next game of pretend. 

Privately, the princess enjoyed the blossoming warmth spreading from deep in her chest, up to her rosy cheeks and down to her toes. And then she picked up her feet and danced a new path on her way down to the village, chasing the thrill of another perfect day.

And what was a perfect day without a perfect conclusion?

**Author's Note:**

> Thus concludes the first look at this... experimental fic.
> 
> I've got a bit more written, but to feel out the direction where it's all sort of headed I'd really appreciate some good feedback.
> 
> Thank you very much for your time!


End file.
